Jan. 25 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international investigation into the apparent downing of a Russian military aircraft said to be bringing 65 captive Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner-of-war swap rendezvous in the Belgorod region on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Ukraine would pass on the facts ascertained from its own investigation to its overseas partners and push for them to commit resources to a joint international effort to establish what caused Wednesday’s crash of the Ilyushin-67 jet, killing all 74 aboard, Zelensky said in his nightly address Wednesday.
From the reports from the chiefs of defense, military, intelligence and security it was “clear that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the feelings of their relatives, and the emotions of our society,” Zelensky said.
“All facts must be established. As far as possible, given that the aircraft crashed in Russian territory that is beyond our control.
“Our state will insist on an international investigation.”
Both sides are blaming each other for the crash in a field in the Belgorod region of southern Russia which borders Ukraine.
A statement from Ukraine’s military intelligence, or GUR, said that, unlike previous instances, Russia failed to notify it to ensure safe airspace.
GUR insisted there was no proof POWs were aboard and alleged “planned and deliberate actions by Russia.”
Ukraine’s General Staff also said the aircraft was carrying S-300 anti-aircraft missiles.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the aircraft was deliberately hit by a Ukrainian airforce anti-aircraft missile launched from somewhere near the village of Lyptsi, about nine miles inside Ukraine, in hopes Russia would be blamed.
Ukraine also repeated warnings the incident was likely part of a mounting Russian misinformation campaign aimed at damaging Ukraine’s standing and eroding international support.
The Ukrainian group, Media Initiative for Human Rights, said that while the facts remained unclear it found cracks in Moscow’s “prompt and coordinated” response which it said was “very strange and unusual” and pointed to problems with the list of POWs supposedly perished in the crash.
“But at the moment, all this is very circumstantial evidence, insufficient to draw conclusions. We are working and will definitely conduct our own investigation,” said communications director Olha Reshetylova.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any international investigation should focus on “the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime.”
Asked whether the swap would still proceed, Peskov said “no one can tell how this will affect the prospects of the continuation” of the prisoner swap but asserted that it “should be held in absolute silence.”
In Washington, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told a press briefing Wednesday the administration was aware of the incident but was unable to independently confirm it.
“We’re obviously doing the best we can to try to get more clarity and more information on it,” he said.
